Let me preface this blurb by disclosing that I've never been exposed to !!! (pronounced 'chk chk chk') before listening to this release. The following is my first impression of both the band in general and their latest album, Strange Weather, Isn't It?.

At a rather short nine tracks, !!!'s newest offering is a brilliant display of programming proficiency. The drum loops are some of the most textured and layered I've ever heard. The problem is that there isn't much musical substance to turn that programming into a great album.

It seems when most bands write what I would dub as "synth pop," they have a catchy song that they do their best to add a little computer flare to, either through the production process or with some vintage synths. On the contrary, apparently !!! go through this process backwards, missing the foundation of what could really hold their record up on its own two legs.

Each song is hand-crafted with a droning synth lead or pad in the background, layer-upon-layer of sampled percussion, and a basic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure. The blueprint is there for a smash hit, but A) the slap-back reverb on every element dirties up the mix, B) there's only one solitary tempo change in the entire record, and C) the elements of the song are so thickly layered that the overall tone is muddled cacophony.

Clearly a lot of thought and skill went into the production of this album; It just doesn't have the substance or variety to be very listenable. I'm pegging this one at a D+.

Sacramento rock legends Deftones have had a rough last couple of years. After all but scrapping their latest project, Eros, in 2008, bassist Chi Cheng suffered severe brain injuries after a November car accident in Santa Clara.

As Cheng’s recovery continued to show little progress over nearly a year, the band decided to regroup and write a new album with a new direction, recruiting Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega to hit the studio with them

Enter, Diamond Eyes. If there’s anything to be said about Deftones, it’s that they’re true to themselves. Their latest effort is a testament to their 12-year career that marks the first page of a new chapter.

The title track starts the album off downtempo, detuned, and destructive. From the beginning, frontman Chino Moreno wants you to know that he has a new hold on his vocals. “Diamond Eyes” has the first truly prevalent harmonies I’ve ever heard on a Deftones album.

Between “Royal”’s mix of the heavy and angelic to razor-sharp guitar riffs of “CMND/CTRL,” there’s a spastic sliding between screams and crooning melody. “Beauty School” eases up on the pain a bit, taking a calm song and adding that signature California edge, singing lines of “shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes.”

“Prince” offers a dissonant look back to Around the Fur. Every detail is intact - instruments in this album are isolated and poignant - unlike the muddled mess that embodied Deftones and Saturday Night Wrist.

You can taste the metal in the album’s first single, “Rocket Skates.” The driving guitar and blood-curdling, nails-on-a-chalkboard screams pave way for “Sextape” - a mix of spacey, sobering guitars. This sensual ballad features far-reaching falsetto and rich, airy vocals that harken back to White Pony.

“Risk” is a textured canvas of different tones. The effects play and muted chucks across guitar strings create a whole environment for the listener. “976-EVIL” introduces droning guitars that crescendo towards the close of the album.

“This Place Is Death” closes out with a hard-hitting supernova of sound. The ebb and flow of this track tapers off into nothing time and again before exploding back into verse.

Diamond Eyes is not just a progression, but a true mark in the Deftones’ history. As bands evolve and change their sound with the wants of their top-40 fans, few are as loyal as Deftones. Even in losing a member, there’s something preternatural about their cohesiveness and uniformity about a band. Diamond Eyes is an A+.

MGMT scored themselves a spot among our Top 10 Albums of 2008 with their smash-hit debut, Oracular Spectacular. Two years later, their followup album isn’t exactly what I had hoped for after so many heads had turned in their direction.

What caught my attention from their debut was a unique ability to blend genres and introduce psychedelic synth-pop to the mainstream. Their catchy hooks had a way of slithering between your synapses and getting stuck in your brain for weeks. Congratulations is anything but.

I had completely convinced myself that I was listening to a Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute by the second song, “Song for Dan Treacy.” The church organ melodies repeated throughout the record seem like something you hear on a ride at Disney World.

By the end of track three, “Someone’s Missing,” I couldn’t help but laugh that the melody was straight out of a Jackson 5 song. “Flash Delirium” had me hoping that things were picking up and sounding a little more like MGMT, until a spoken word section followed promptly by a flute solo threw me off in the middle.

“I Found a Whistle” is where this album really starts its nosedive. The 60’s-era combo of sleigh bells and guitars speak a message about “the young and the faithful and the good,” leading into a terrible 12-minute abomination called “Siberian Breaks.”

Here’s how the song goes: Beautiful acoustic guitars, a section that Air could have written, elevator music, intricate melodies, lots of world instruments, a time-signature change, a Pink-Floyd-style transition, a booming kick drum... (it’s eight minutes in and I get bored, check Twitter on my phone, start listening again) ...a synth ending, and more Pink Floyd. Just wait - it gets worse.

Next up is “Brian Eno.” Really? A song about producer Brian Eno? This thrown-together song sounds like the Ramones could have written it - in a bad way - but on better drugs.

The instrumental interlude “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” starts with a very pretty arrangement. After building up for two minutes (and just as you realize that it’s another Dark Side of the Moon ripoff), it begins a long, drawn-out, two-minute long fadeout. Two minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

Finishing out Congratulations is “Congratulations.” Nice. Actually, this is the only song with a chorus on the record. In fact, it’s the only song that has any real structure. In listening to it as the last song of the record, I really start to enjoy it. Granted, I’m not sure if that enjoyment is to the credit of great songwriting or such a terrible album finally coming to a close.

If you’re an avid reader, you know that it’s tough to get me to be negative towards any artist or their work, but this album was a complete disappointment for me. Is the album worth the 10 bucks on iTunes? If you’re planning on hours of entertainment making fun of this album with your friends, hit the all-familiar “Buy Now” button. I’m giving this one a “D.”

Waiting on the Old 97's to start their set at Austin City Limits 2008, a little band from Georgia called Drive-By Truckers took the stage to warm up the crowd. Little did I know that an hour later I would have begun a love affair that would build on itself over the course of two years.

DBT have been creating and releasing music since 1998 and their newest release, The Big To-Do is possibly a defining moment in their career. The Truckers have made a name for themselves as an alternative country group as they've toured all across the states with a number of different acts, but taking the southern-drawled vocals out of the mix, The Big To-Do is a by-the-book rock album.

"Daddy Learned to Fly" starts you off easy with a nice alternative riff. After ten seconds, I thought I had accidentally hit play on a Foo Fighters record. "The Fourth Night of My Drinking" brought that Tom-Petty-meets-Tripping-Daisy groove that I've come to love form Drive-By Truckers. It's a calmer track that leads you to think that the band has taken the edge off for the new record...

Then comes "Birthday Boy" (available for free download here), packed with hard-hitting melodies that let you know that this is going to be a rock-and-roll roadtrip. "Drag the Lake Charlie" brings complexity by layering organs and fuzzy guitars like a track off of Sgt. Pepper. "The Wig He Made Her Wear" is a great storyteller song full of some funky rhythms and a catchy tune.

The album takes a turn with "You Got Another", when bassist Shonna Tucker steps up to the mic. It's the kind of jam that makes you feel like you're in a church. Just as you're caught up in the angelic hymn, you're dirtied up again by the pent-up aggression and brutal harmonies in "This Fucking Job." Segue into "Get Downtown" - A smokey bar, blues guitar, piano rocking, biscuits and grits southern rock anthem.

"After the Scene Dies" tells the story of a road-worn band while "(It's Gonna Be) I Told You So" and "Santa Fe" calm things down a bit and let the slowmo-swing shine. "The Flying Wallendas" is a beautiful couples'-dance song filled with ebbs and flows. The pairing of banjos and organs with a fantastic build at the end is a seamless climax to the album. Bringing it home are the acoustic guitar and a Wurlitzer in the beautiful lullaby "Eyes Like Glue."

After over a decade packed full of major releases, it's strange to say that it's a good time to start listening to a band, but if you've not heard Drive-By Truckers yet, The Big To-Do is a great jumping-off point. The album hits shelves March 16 and can be ordered in CD, digital download, vinyl, and deluxe formats on the band's website.